We are honored to share Isla Rose’s story, as told by her mom, Tristen.
Isla is four years old. She is a daughter and a sister to Claire (3), Connor (14), and Raelynn (10), and deeply loved by her parents, Tristen and Sebastian. She is a light in her family’s life, and a child whose courage has reshaped what bravery looks like for everyone around her.
This is the story of how one small moment changed everything, and how Isla continues to move through each day with strength, curiosity, and heart.
The Night Everything Changed
It was late one night in January 2025, just after midnight. Tristen was lying in bed with Isla and her baby sister, Claire, doing what she had done countless nights before—stroking Isla’s hair to help her fall asleep. That is when she felt it. A small lump at the back of Isla’s head on the right side. Then another, connected to it. They moved slightly beneath her fingers. She wanted to believe that meant it was harmless. People often say movable lumps can be normal. But something didn’t feel right.
The next step was a visit to their local pediatric clinic. The first doctor was not concerned. The exam was routine. Still uneasy, Tristen asked for blood work to help rule things out. That is when she learned what a CBC was. The results were mostly normal, with only slightly elevated lymphocytes.
Over the next week, the lumps grew. More small, bead-like lumps appeared along the front right side of Isla’s neck. They returned to the clinic and asked for additional testing. They were told it was likely a virus or cysts. Isla was not sick. She was still running, laughing, and filling rooms with her energy. No one in the family had been sick since October 2024.
Pushing for Answers
By mid-February, Tristen asked directly for an ultrasound. The lumps on Isla’s neck were larger now, some nearing half the size of golf balls. The appointment was scheduled two weeks out. During that time, the lumps continued to grow. They became harder.
When the ultrasound finally happened, it led to a referral to an ENT in Columbus, Ohio, connected with Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Two more ultrasounds followed. Then an MRI was scheduled for March 11.
Fifteen minutes into the drive home after the MRI, the phone rang. They were asked to turn around. Isla needed to be admitted immediately for a biopsy.
The Diagnosis
The days that followed moved quickly and slowly all at once. Isla underwent a biopsy and was seen by specialists from multiple departments as the medical team worked to find answers.
On March 14, Isla was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The very next day, March 15, she had a port placed in her chest, underwent her first lumbar procedure with methotrexate, and began chemotherapy. It was one month before her fourth birthday.
A mass the size of a golf ball was surgically removed from her neck, along with others. The fear and grief were overwhelming, but there was also a plan in place for treatment and care.
Life in Treatment
Since then, life has been shaped by treatment schedules and hospital routines. Isla receives weekly chemotherapy, regular lumbar procedures, and immunotherapy with blinatumomab, often called Blina. Early in treatment, she experienced liver complications that required two hospital stays. There have been emergency room visits and moments of urgent fear.
At times, the family has navigated all of this without a vehicle, relying on emergency services while Tristen waited and prayed, hands shaking, hoping help would arrive quickly.
In June, while Isla was still in active treatment, the family was evicted from the home they had lived in for five years. They learned the house had persistent mold issues. They also discovered that herbicides, including Roundup, had been sprayed around the property near the river.
During an already fragile time, they carried the weight of relocation and safety concerns while continuing Isla’s care. And still, they kept going.
Who Isla Is Today
Through hospital hallways, procedures, and long days, Isla remains herself. She understands more than people often expect. She still needs help staying still during procedures—she is four—but she shows courage in ways that matter deeply.
She speaks in full sentences now, asking questions, responding with confidence. Before her diagnosis, her speech was more limited. Today, she is blooming.
Two weeks ago, Isla became fully potty trained. In the world of ports and chemotherapy, it may sound small. To her family, it is everything. These moments are celebrated fully, because every step forward has been earned.
Hope, On Repeat
Some days are filled with joy, and others are filled with fear. Most hold both. Isla is teaching her family to live one day at a time, to notice the sweetness in small moments, and to hold onto hope even when the path is hard. Everyone is incredibly proud of her strength, her curiosity, and her ability to keep being Isla in a world that asks so much of her.
A few short months ago, Avalynn’s Hope Foundation was honored to help this family with financial support during an incredibly difficult time. We are grateful to be able to ease the burden in some small way and to walk alongside families like Isla’s as they navigate the unimaginable.
Stories like Isla’s remind us why we do what we do. Hope lives here and carries forward, day after day.
